The Fellowship of Zero
by AlekatKalex
Summary: Lelouch and his friends are sent back in time to right their wrongs, but this time, Lelouch knows he can't work alone. Zero has to be better. All x Lelouch. *WARNING: CONTAINS HAPPINESS AND LACK OF MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH*
1. Chapter 1: A Series of Dreams

**Chapter 1: A Series of Dreams**

**A/N: Hi everyone, this is Kalex, the person who writes the stories. Sorry about the author's note, I know no one cares. You can just skip this if you want. I just wanted to thank you for reading our ****fan fiction. My brother and I have been working on the storyline for a while and we have a few chapters written, but this is our first time publishing works like this. The first thing I'd like to do if warn you that this fan fiction will be rather bipolar, and I apologize for that. This is the first fan fiction I've ever written and it's the first my brother has ever planned.**

**This will also be a romance, although that's not the main focus. It's AllLulu, including guys (we want to spread the love)! If you're uncomfortable about reading romance, it's not the only thing going on, so you can probably skip it with you want. Same if there's a couple that you don't like. We're hoping to keep that fairly equal.**

**We'll probably try to post a poll or something so you can vote on which couple(s) you want to see the most of if you're interested. There probably won't be an endgame couple, and we'll try to include any that get even a single vote. However, more popular pairings will get more story time.**

**Anyway, here's our first chapter. I apologize for the long note!**

**DISCLAIMER: To the surprise of everyone, my brother and I, the lowly fan fiction writers that we are, do not, in fact, own a hit anime series, and none of the characters belong to us. If we did, we would not be here. We would be making a season 3 diddly darn it. And it would involve Lelouch galavanting across the galaxy with laser beams and his trusty dinosaur steed. It is also safe to note that if we owned Code Geass, it would, in fact, not be like Code Geass at all. It would also be titled "The Story of how Lelouch Took Over the World and Definitely Wasn't Evil or Anything and Everyone Loved Him" part 1 of 27.**

As Lelouch felt the cold embrace of death, he knew it was over.

The fighting was over.

The pain was over.

The misunderstandings were over.

The sight of his friends (or perhaps enemies) staring at him with disgust was over.

The disappointed and harsh looks sent his way when they thought he wasn't looking were over.

The feeling of anguish and guilt that greeted him every morning, day after day, was finally over.

Maybe he should be relieved. Maybe he should be happy. But as the world dissolved around his bleeding and broken body, as the cries of surprise and fear faded from his ears, when the pain and suffering and heaviness of everything he went through was lifted from his slumped shoulders, he could only think one thing.

As Lelouch felt the cold embrace of death, he knew he had failed.

The collective subconscious watched as the emperor fell, his bleeding body hitting the ground. They sighed. This wasn't right. This wasn't how is was supposed to end. None of this was what they had hoped would happen. There was so much regret, so much pain. They felt all of it, and it made their heart ache.

The thoughts rushed through them. All of the wishes, all of the farewells. Something that was done wrong, at every turn.

One wished that she hadn't let her Contractor die, but she knew it was too late. Another wished he could have protected those most dear to him, but he had failed. One wished he had learned to love, and realized that he never had. One who wished she hadn't let her friends die, but she did. Another that wished he hadn't betrayed those who needed his trust, and he had. The last wished he had just kept Lelouch alive and safe like he promised he would, but here he was, watching the life leave him.

And one, the most potent, the most intense, was that of the one who wished that he hadn't failed. Not himself, not the world, and most of all, not his friends.

The collective subconscious acknowledged that they did owe Lelouch. They owed him the satisfaction of finally getting what he wanted most. And they supposed that, through owing _Lelouch_, they owed Lelouch's most trusted as well. They owed them _all_ something.

So they would give them what they wished for as they watched the ex-emperor die before their eyes.

And then they would watch. And wait.

Lelouch opened his eyes.

Now, that's not right.

Carefully, he sat up. He was...in his bed? Furiously, he rubbed his eyes. His thoughts were muddled. Why was he in his bed? Didn't he just...?

Crawling out of bed, he surveyed his surroundings. He was in his room. The clock read 7:27 a.m.. Most people would see this as a normal occurrence; to wake up in ones own house, in ones own room, in ones own bed, in ones own pajamas at the appropriate time.

But for someone who's dead, it's a bit surprising to say the least.

Well, this is a tad awkward.

Lelouch tiptoed down the stairs, surprisingly wary for someone who just purposely ended their own life. He checked around every corner, examining the house like a starving man might examine a steak. After staring around him with a look quite resembling a dead fish, he concluded this was indeed, yes, his house, and pre-nuke to boot. It was quite remarkable, really. A numb part of his mind vaguely noted that a bit of home renovation could do wonders to a desolate black crater.

After impersonating road kill for a good thirty minutes as he wandered through his house in a daze, running his hands over mundane appliances with manic intensity (oh toaster, how I've missed you), Lelouch reached the front door. Suddenly overwhelmed with intense urgency, he sprinted across his front yard, leaving his gardeners to wonder why their young master was racing around in his bunny slippers and pink-polka-dotted onesie.

After approximated 10 meters of sprinting and several hundred of exhausted limping, he finally reached the nearest newspaper stand.

In a crazed daze, he ripped the nearest one off the racks, ignoring the terrified stares he was receiving from the young boy manning the booth. As the student cowered in fear, Lelouch frantically scanned the paper until his eyes reached the date.

His heart skipped a beat. No. No no NO! The world was beginning to tilt on its axis, causing him to stumble past the boy who was currently calling the police. Impossible. Impossible! How could this be happening?! He was in the past?!

Suddenly he started giggling. It was impossible. It must be a joke! Yes, a joke, of course. Cackling maniacally, he ripped the paper to shreds. It was only an illusion, of course. Just a figment of his imagination. It had to be! No other explanation for this... Event.

There was no way. No way in hell.

It was the day before the poison gas incident.

Lelouch fainted.


	2. Chapter 2: Realization

**A/N: Here's chapter 2! Hope you enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: We do not own Code Geass or its characters in any way, shape, or form! If we did, Lelouch would take over the world in a day and there would be a law that everyone in the world has to attend Ashford Academy. I mean we're already pretty much there...**

The moment Kallen saw the date, she immediately had an intense urge to burn something.

She had awoken in her stepmother's house and had been, understandably, extremely confused. After all, the last thing she remembered was Lelouch... Lelouch... she shuddered.

She stumbled out the front door in a daze, wearing the first clothes she found (her tutu from her ballet concert three months ago was an interesting choice). She stared around her in a dizzy fascination as a world she once knew reappeared before her eyes. She felt numb. What could she do? Why did this happen? HOW did this happen?

Eventually, she came to the conclusion that burning down Lelouch's house was absolutely the best solution.

A few minutes later and she was attempting to set the mansion on fire with nothing more than a few soggy matches and some torn up newspaper that was stolen from a terrified paperboy.

Before she could complete her master plan, however, Ohgi sprinted up to Kallen and tackled her into a fierce hug.

"KALLEN!" He shouted joyfully. "WE'RE BACK! WE'RE BACK!"

Meanwhile, Suzaku was crying. This continued for a good three hours. Anyone who walked into his room quickly exited and pretended they didn't just witness their fellow soldier rocking back and mumbling odd phrases and occasionally giggling maniacal, tears streaming down his face all the while.

C.C. woke up, and after saying 'huh', went right back to sleep.

"Wait, how did you know I was going to be here?" Kallen asked, striking the match absentmindedly.

Ohgi rubbed the back of his neck, laughing nervously. "Well, I just followed the trail of terrified newspaper boys and worked up from there."

"Fair point." Kallen mused, dropping another match onto the pile of newspapers that failed to ignite (probably since they were soaked by said newspaper boys' tears).

After a bit of uncomfortable silence that was only filled by the sound of matches being struck and dropped Ohgi finally spoke.

"So, what do we do now?"

Kallen sighed. "I honestly don't know. Lelouch is..."

The air seemed to ring with possible completion to that sentence. Evil, crazy, misunderstood, wrong...

...dead...

Ohgi curled his fingers into a fist, his face contorting into an expression of pained rage. "Why did he have to lie to us?! Why couldn't he just..." He trailed off, suddenly sad.

"He didn't trust us because we couldn't be trusted." Kallen murmured softly. They both contemplated it carefully. They betrayed him, and now he was dead. Or... He used to be dead. In this time, he was still alive.

"Who else do we think came back?" Ohgi asked. Kallen grimaced.

"Until we know why WE came back, I don't think we're gonna find out."

Ohgi sighed, rubbing his forehead. "This shouldn't be possible..." He griped. It was all so confusing. Why did this happen to them? He wasn't sure if it was good or bad.

"Our friends are alive." Kallen said, almost to herself. "That's enough for me. That's all we need to know."

Ohgi nodded, smiling grimly. "If it's the day I think it is... Then we have work to do."

After crying for a few hours, Suzaku realized that he had a few decisions to make.

What did he do about Lelouch?

He could just kill him. At that, his heart clenched a little. No. He couldn't. Even after everything Lelouch did, Suzaku realized he had gone right along with it. If Lelouch was the cursed Shepherd, then he was the damned sheep that followed him. That made him just as bad. Plus, he was pretty sure if an eleven soldier suddenly went ballistic and shanked a Britannian student, he wouldn't be exactly accepted with open arms into the student council. How fun to explain would that be? 'He's going to become a terrorist, I swear!'

He could capture him, but on what grounds? He could prove Lelouch was Zero, but would he actually become Zero? Of course, his mind assured him. He had to.

Why did that make him feel relieved?

Lastly, he could join him. It felt almost too late to have second thoughts. He sold his soul once already. There wasn't any buying it back. If he repented, maybe he could forgive himself. Maybe he could finally forget Euphie's death.

Then it hit him.

Euphie wasn't dead.

Something in his heart swelled. It wasn't too late. He could save Euphie! He suddenly smiled. The weight on his shoulders lifted. Maybe things could be better.

Meanwhile, fully trained soldiers were skirting around his room like frightened children to avoid the manic-depressive mumbling psycho (with ninja skills) inside.

After convincing the nurse that he had just been extremely excited about the local news (he assured her the dog fashion show was an absolutely riveting story that got him extremely worked up) and narrowly avoiding a one way field trip to the closest asylum, Lelouch was home bound.

Exiting the Emergency Room with confidence surprisingly high for a man in women's pajamas, he began to gather his thoughts.

Judging by the ache in his head from the fall he had taken and the fact his legs still hurt from that intense ten meter run, he concluded that this was not a ghastly dream created in his final moments. And judging by the way people stared at him as if, well, he just waltzed out of the emergency room in a onesie after scaring the crap out of an innocent kid, he probably wasn't in Heaven either. He briskly started his walk home.

So he was back in time.

This raised quite a few questions.

How will he get Suzaku on his side? He supposed he could Geass him. That also raised the question on how to get his Geass. He could do pretty much the same thing as last time in that regard. Many sacrifices would be necessary for him to gain his power. He could also just Geass the Black Knights to follow his orders. He'd also need to get rid if certain pieces quickly, and keep himself from losing others.

Just as he was thinking that, he spotted Shirley across the road.

Then it hit him. Everyone was still alive, no one had died for (or from) him yet..

Suddenly, he realized what he was thinking. Geassing his oldest friend? Controlling his friends by force? He was beginning to sound like the Emperor.

Looking back, that was why he failed, wasn't it? In trying to destroy evil, he became even more so.

He skimmed around Shirley discreetly, not wanting to be seen like this by his classmate. Things had to change, he realized. He wasn't just losing pieces. People were dying. He couldn't let that happen. Not again.

He marched home, his mind set. He was going to need a few things; a voice changer and his Zero mask among them. That should be easy enough.

Zero would be different this time around, in more ways that one.

"I still can't forgive him."

Ohgi couldn't help but nod at what Kallen said. She had finally gotten a successful match, and was now nursing a small fire.

"I agree." Ohgi sighed, throwing a few dry leaves into the flames. "But... We can't do this without him, can we?"

Kallen nodded absentmindedly, blowing on the coals. "No, we can't."

They paused for a moment, stepping back and watching the fire grow a tiny bit, the flames licking at the side of the house but not catching.

After a few minutes of contemplation Ohgi spoke again.

"I guess it's time to get the 'gas', isn't it?"

Kallen nodded in what appeared to be understanding.

"Gasoline would definitely help with the fire…"

Ohgi sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Not that gas..."

After finishing his work, Lelouch smiled deviously, settling into bed in the pajamas he had never gotten out of.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.


	3. Chapter 3: Nostalgia

**A/N: Hey everyone! Wow, thank you guys so much for reading! Neither my brother nor I expected anyone to actually like it! We're going to attempt to write a new chapter every week, but we might not be able to. Once again, thanks so much for reading! And if you have a preference on who you'd like to see Lelouch paired with, make sure to vote!**

**DISCLAIMER: Neither my brother nor I own Code Geass or Candy Crush. And if you're wondering how those are related, we don't know either. If we did, in fact, own Code Geass, Lelouch would have gotten a Geass that allowed him to win instantly. And blow stuff up. Yeah, that'd be awesome. Oh and he would have known jujitsu. **

Lelouch forgot how much falling into a van full of very angry terrorists hurt.

You'd think after already going through the motions, he'd have gotten ready for the jarring turns, sudden starts and stops, and angry Britannian military hell-bent on him ending up with fewer brain cells when this was over. Lelouch decided to hang tight, and, for lack of other things to do, play Candy Crush (copyright), only moving to duck when Kallen walked past.

That brought up an interesting question, what did Kallen know? Did she know anything? Who else (if anyone) went back in time? These questions spiraled through his head even as he matched and destroyed colorful sweet treats.

Kallen climbed the ladder, wondering if the bings and and faint crunches were in fact the product of her rapidly dissipating mental stability, or if Lelouch had indeed been in the van when they drove off. She decided that following history was most likely the best way to keep from questioning everything she thought she knew, so instead of going to throttle the anorexic teen she instead continued with the original plan.

As Kallen climbed into her Knightmare to prepare for slaughter, a wave of nostalgia washed over her. She lovingly stroked the weapon of mass destruction like a long-lost pet before seating herself, grinning like the madwoman she may or may not have become.

Several seconds and a few military helicopters later, she found herself face-to-face with Jeremiah.

"I can't believe the audacity you had, going against our wonderful emperor!"

"Yes!" Lelouch shouted as he beat his highscore. "Suck it you annoying pigtailed brat!"

As Suzaku struggled through the filth that made up the floor of this collective-subconscious forsaken pit, he felt a wave of nostalgia, quickly quelled by the bile in his throat as he forgot the first rule he was taught during terrorist-hunting-in-an-abandoned-subway training (the best kind of training) and accidentally looked down. Before he was able to add his lunch to the slime encrusted ground, Suzaku was so rudely interrupted by a van bearing two of the most dangerous people on the planet.

Some people just have no manners.

Before even being able to ready himself, a door on the side of the oh-so-inconspicuous van opened. As Suzaku noticed Lelouch he decided to considered his options.

1. Hyperventilate

2. Beat Lelouch's head in with the nearest pizza box (and to be fair, if CC was in that container like last time, one couldn't be that far away)

3. ?

4. Tell a trusted adult

5. Scream

6. Ninja kick him in the face

7. Look both ways before crossing the street

8. Cry

9. Stop drop and roll

10. Tackle hug him

11. Initiate small talk

After serious consideration for option 1 and 8, he decided 11 was probably the safest route. If that failed, he could always jump straight to 2 anyways.

"Lelouch? Is that you?"

Said teen turned to face him, looking mildly relieved before switching to a blank face.

"Who are you?"

_Ah. Right. The mask_. Carefully, Suzaku took off his helmet and forced a painful smile.

"It's me. Suzaku."

Lelouch smiled pleasantly.

"Ah, Suzaku! Lovely weather we're having today."

_Small talk must be a popular multiple choice answer._

"Indeed. So, how are your studies going?"

"Good, good. How's the family?"

"Good." Suzaku replied; images of his father in a pool of blood flashing before his eyes. "How's Nunnally?"

"Blind, as usual."

Dang. Maybe small talk wasn't their strong suit.

Suddenly, the capsule opened the reveal CC, her face seeming to say; _God, you guys are so awkward it might finally kill me. Boys_.

CC stepped out of the capsule, somehow completely calm despite being gagged and in a straight jacket. She shot Lelouch a smug look.

_Welcome back Zero_, she sent Lelouch.

_You too, witch._ He sent right back.

Suzaku, finding himself feeling left out despite no obvious interaction, cleared his throat and said, "So...what have you been up to?" right as Britannian troops spilled into the room.

"Private Kururugi! Apprehend the terrorist!"

Suzaku snapped out of his daze, having already experienced his commanding officer's long winded and quite pretentious speech.

"Sorry, can you repeat that last part?"

The officer sighed, pulled out a gun and shot Suaku through the side.

_Well, that could have gone better_, Suzaku mused as he collapsed in agony and blacked out, giving Lelouch the finger on the way down.

Lelouch frowned. _And our conversation had been going so well._ But before the commander could even threaten to kill him, the terrorist van exploded.

Lelouch immediately grabbed CC and hit the deck, ducking to avoid the huge blast that was sent off. Debris flew over their heads as Lelouch covered his ears.

_I never knew you cared,_ CC thought to him.

_Shut up, witch._

As Oghi cowered behind upturned newspaper stands and destroyed buildings to avoid the barrage of Knightmare rounds, he felt a wave of nostalgia.

Currently, he was attempting to delay advancing in Britannian forces as he evacuated civilians. A small part of him was rather proud of his forethought; this time, casualties would be numbered in the dozens, not the hundreds.

The scouts the Britannians had sent out were well trained, but Oghi had learned a thing or two from Zero's-Lelouch's-time guiding them. He crushed a feeling of guilt as he guided a small family through the chaos.

There were so many things he needed to fix. So many problems that could be undone. This travel gave him so many chances that he should have taken before.

It was terrifying to think he could fail again, but so, so worth it for the wave of hope that came with.

For now, they just had to hold out until Zero came-because he had to arrive.

Right?

As Lelouch crawled under the third rusted pipe to block his path, the idea of leaving Ohgi and his resistance group to die became more and more appealing. He quickly banished that thought from his mind, if he was going to make this work he would need people he could trust, and while they did betray him last time, it wasn't like he hadn't given them plenty of reasons.

_Just one more thing I need to change this time around. _Lelouch thought to himself. _And speaking of changes…_

"Hey, CC! Can I get my Geass now instead of letting you get shot by those Britannian soldiers?"

"I was just waiting for you to ask."

"So, are we having a bad day?"

Suzaku's eyes opened to see an overly excitable scientist grinning at him brightly. The feeling of nostalgia was overwhelming.

Not as overwhelming as the pain of getting shot, though. That interaction definitely could have gone better.

"Looks like you missed your chance to go to Heaven, Private Kururugi." The gleeful look on Lloyd's face gave Suzaku the familiar urge to break something.

"What's the latest on the situation?"

"It seems as though the poison has has been released." He said, looking like he was trying not to start cackling with glee. Suzaku might have wondered why, if it weren't for the fact he had already experienced such weirdness from the scientist already. Plus, he was still feeling a little bit on the 'just got shot' side.

As expected, Lloyd didn't beat around the brush.

"I want you, a random eleven off the street with no formal training, to pilot the most powerful Knightmare known to mankind. Health benefits are provided, of course."

Naturally.

"The West Entrance."

When that familiar voice broke through the static of her radio, Kallen could have cried with relief. She slumped slightly in her seat, her head hitting the cushion as she sighed. He was here. He was back.

Without even waiting for the rest of his spiel, she gunned the engine, shooting into the said area and racing along the tracks, aware of the Knightmares following her. She felt strangely happy. He was back. Lelouch was back. She almost didn't hear her next instructions as she sat, dazed.

"Since you trusted me, you're going to win."

She wasn't sure if the familiar smugness made her furious or joyful.

"Jump onto the train."

As soon as the words were spoken, she did, her Knightmare leaping.

She watched with a grin as the exact previous events unfolded, Lelouch ambushing her pursuers and Jeremiah ejecting. She wasn't surprised when she looked to see Lelouch gone.

Oghi ran up, a grin on his face.

"He called!" He shouted. Seconds later, his walkie talkie crackled.

"Are you the leader here?"

_You are now._ "Yes. Who is this?"

"I present to you the contents of this train. If you want to win, use them and follow my orders."

Lelouch sat back, holding a chess piece in his hand. Somehow, everything seemed more fragile than it had before, almost surreal. He was betting his life in this game, yes, but he was betting the lives of his comrades...nay, friends, as well.


	4. Chapter 4: Refrain

**A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for the wait! This chapter is much more emotional than the previous ones, and I'd like to ****apologize for that! It's really bipolar, isn't it? I need to work on that, seriously... Anyway! Once again, if you'd like to vote on what couples you'd like to see more of, there should be a pole up on our profile! Otherwise we'll just keep with Everyone x Lelouch (though mainly characters he interacts with often canonically).**

**DISCLAIMER: Neither my brother or I own Code Geass or its characters! If we did, Lelouch would not have been semi-Hitler! (apologies if that offends anyone!) Also, pretty much none of the tragedy and genocide in R2 would have happened. Seriously, WTF.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains abrupt sadness, craziness, delusions, Suzaku's swift descent into insanity, mild swearing and a bit of Lelouch x Kallen and Lelouch x CC.**

As Suzaku got into the Lancelot, he felt sick.

He shot off after the terrorist nearest to him, weapon ready. He expected he would destroy them again. What else could he do? He felt resigned. Last time he was so sure of his actions; this time he couldn't be. He almost missed when he was mindlessly following Britannia; when he truly felt like what he was doing was right. He rolled forward quickly and rounded a corner, knowing he'd obliterate them.

But when he arrived, he was shocked to see they weren't there.

_They retreated?_ He wondered, shifting to look from side to side. Sure enough, they were gone.

Almost cautiously, he maneuvered around a corner, half expecting to see Lelouch with CC and Kallen, holding an RPG cackling maniacally. Instead, he was greeted by the flash of Knightmare wheels as they sped around the corner. For a moment he was surprised. Then he pressed forward, following.

Again, he watched as a Knightmare vanished behind debris. Irritated, he rolled forward. He looked.

No one.

Now he was mad. He turned around just in time to see, surprise surprise, a Knightmare flashing out of view.

He raced after it with fury. He pressed his vehicle as fast as it would go, speeding around corners faster and faster. Somehow, no matter how quick he was, the Knightmare was always rounding a corner, just out of his reach. He went at speeds that pushed even the Lancelot, and yet somehow these crappy excuses for Knightmares dusted him. The Knightmare was always one step ahead of him, taunting him. He was getting so mad it almost seemed like it was changing colors-

...

Suzaku screeched to a halt. He looked around.

He was back where he started.

...

_No...there's no way... _his thoughts trailed off.

Very, very slowly, he inched around the corner.

The Knightmare was in the same position as always; skidding out of view just in time.

...

_Oh._

Once again, Suzaku found himself greeted with several options.

1) Cry

2) Scream

3) Slaughter them all

4) Beat someone to death with a pizza box

5) Never talk to strangers on the internet

6) Commit Seppuku

7) Deck the halls with balls of holly

8) Don't take candy from strangers

9) AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA

10) Turn off the lights when leaving the room

11) Change his name and move to Uganda

Suzaku began banging his head against the controls.

Lelouch stepped into the throne room. After the Lancelot had been distracted, going through with the rest of his plan was easy. Until he could reach Suzaku, there was no point in facing him.

Clovis sat as he did before on the throne, looking down at him with shock as Lelouch stepped into the light.

"L-Lelouch?!" He managed weakly. Guards began to step forward.

"Leave us." He ordered firmly. Immediately their arms went lax and they left the room. Lelouch turned back to Clovis.

"Lelouch! It's so good to see you!" He said, but there was fear in his eyes. "I thought you were..."

"Dead?" Lelouch said harshly. "Well I'm alive, no thanks to you." He hissed. Clovis flinched violently.

"I-it wasn't my fault!" He cried indignantly. "It was all father! What could I do?"

As weak-willed as ever, Lelouch thought angrily. Nunnally could have died! His hand found the gun in his pocket and he lifted it to Clovis. The blonde yelped with surprise and flung his hands up to cover his face.

"Pl-please! Have m-mercy on me!" Clovis begged.

"Innocents died because of you." Lelouch said coldly. "You're disgusting."

"Don't shoot!" Clovis cried anyway. Lelouch's eyes narrowed. It should be so easy. His finger tightened slightly around the trigger. He should be able to shoot. He did it before.

And yet... Something in his chest coiled upon pain. He remembered it so vividly...pulling the trigger and watching his brother fall, his mouth still mouthing pleas even as his eyes dulled and his cold body hit the floor. Lelouch shuddered violently and suddenly averted his eyes. He felt sick.

Clovis peeked from between his hands as he noticed Lelouch's hesitation.

"B-brother?" Clovis tried. Lelouch looked back up and had to physically stop himself from recoiling as for a moment all be could see were the lifeless eyes of his brother. He put a hand over his eye as he felt a migraine coming. He should kill him.

But his finger wouldn't move.

Lelouch suddenly released the trigger. He let his arm relax slightly.

"Come with me." Lelouch ordered coldly, ignoring the fast nervous beating of his heart.

_What am I doing?!_ he wondered fiercely as Clovis got a hopeful look on his face. He knew he should have shot him. He knew it.

Yet...

"Lelouch!" Clovis gushed, tears in his eyes. "Thank you so much, I-"

"Quiet!" Lelouch muttered, shoving down the relief in his chest. Clovis stood up, his knees shaking.

Clovis started over to him, fear still in his eyes. Lelouch raised the gun again.

"You're still an enemy." Lelouch muttered, but it felt like he was telling himself.

Clovis nodded weakly, but he still just looked relieved. Lelouch put the gun against his back and prodded him forward. Clovis stumbled once and regained his footing, heading towards the door.

"Lelouch." Clovis said quietly. Lelouch grunted in acknowledgment.

"I...I know you hate father, but I'm sure our siblings would accept you back." Lelouch's eyes narrowed. Clovis seemed to realize his disbelief but he hurried on.

"I-I mean, you must be strong." Clovis cleared his throat nervously. "I mean, I know you're strong, b-but you know how father is. I'm sure we'd take you back..."

Lelouch stopped in his place. His gun hand lowered slightly as he stared with disbelief. Clovis turned to face him, his hands still raised.

"I just... I know you hate us, but remember Cornelia, Euphie...Schneizel...and me..." He spoke nervously, grasping at straws. "Dad will have to accept you."

Lelouch's face was shadowed. "I don't want his acceptance!" He whispered fiercely. Clovis flinched again, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck.

"I know...but...you could have come back-"

"No I couldn't! You know I couldn't!" He shouted with fury. Clovis stepped back reflexively. Lelouch suddenly felt like he should apologize. For this. For everything. For doing this again.

"I-" he started, but was cut off my the door slamming open.

"There he is!"

Lelouch suddenly felt cold. It's over, he realized. It's all over. They found me. He and Clovis turned to face the door. Troops were coming in, their guns up. Clovis opened his mouth.

"Lelou-"

They fired. The shots echoed through the room. Lelouch stared wide-eyed with shock as the rounds went off, and he found himself tired, but ready. He, for a moment, was ready to die.

But when he saw Clovis fall to the floor, a hole through his chest, he wasn't ready.

It took him a moment to connect the dots. Deserters, his mind supplied numbly. In a split second his gun was up again. He shot several times. Somehow, he must have hit them, because the shooting stopped.

They were dead, he realized. They were all dead. The gun fell out of his hand, a strange pain shooting through his arm.

Their bodies hit the floor. Lelouch's legs were shaking, and his knees connected with the floor. He didn't even care that he was getting bloody too. He couldn't. Not now.

His eyes found Clovis. So much noise. So much blood.

He felt cold.

Suddenly he keeled over, coughing up bile. . _What? What just happened? _Shakily, he looked at his hands. _Red. When did that happen? _He was dizzy. Sick, even. _Why...why am I not dead? _

Someone is there.

Wildly, he spun around, brandishing the gun. He felt delirious, pain overtaking thought. He was about to pull the trigger blindly, but a hand rested on his.

"It's okay," said a familiar voice that he couldn't quite place. "It's okay." He was being hugged from behind, he thought blankly, and he couldn't see who it was.

"N-Nunnally?" He whispered almost deliriously. It was getting hard to think. Something hurt. Something _really _hurt. He could hardly tell, though. All he could see was Clovis's empty face…

"..." They were silent for a moment, and Lelouch tensed up. "...Yes. I am Nunnally."

Lelouch relaxed, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly safer.

"I...why am I so sad?" He managed. He felt cold. Why was there so much blood? Too much blood…

"It'll be okay." The voice, Nunnally, said. "You're okay, you're fine."

Lelouch frowned absently. His vision was blurring. _What does she mean?_

"He...he died...I didn't kill him...it didn't...matter…" Black was at the edges of his vision.

"Shh, it's okay. Don't move." _Don't move?_ He thought, confused. He tried to turn to ask, but pain ripped through his arm. He let out a strangled gasp, and Nunnally pulled him back into a sort of cradle position, head resting on her. He tried to look at her, but the world was slipping away.

"Nunnally…" He whispered deliriously, sinking into unconsciousness. He couldn't hold out any longer he realized. "Nunnally, I... didn't want to kill him. I don't...I don't want to see...them die…why…?"

For a moment, they were quiet.

"I know, Lelouch. I know."

Lelouch passed out.

"Kallen."

The voice buzzed through the pilot's radio. She had parked her Knightmare outside of Clovis's mobile command center. Immediately she started with surprise.

"Who is this?!" She demanded. "How did you-"

"Kallen. He's been shot. Clovis died, but he's been shot."

"Shot?! Who?! Who are you?!"

"CC."

Kallen froze.

"CC?"

"Yes."

Silence. Kallen's heart pounded. She was scared to ask, but…

"Who's been shot?"

"..."

Kallen's anger suddenly spiked.

"Dammit, who?!"

"It's Lelouch."

Kallen slammed her hand against the dashboard. "Damnit! Dammit dammit dammit!" She hit the exit button and grabbed the radio and a Britannian first aid kit, sliding out the now open door. Her feet jarred against the ground but she didn't care.

"Where are you now?!"

Kallen ran down the hallway, carrying the medicine. Just under a minute ago, she received word from CC.

Clovis was dead? Lelouch was injured? How did this happen?!

Blood was roaring in her ears as she flat out sprinted down the hallway. Finally, she reached the doors, flinging them open frantically.

"I have it!" She shouted between pants. _Where's Lelouch!? Is he dead?!_ She wondered desperately, looking wildly around the room. Finally, she noticed all the blood. She almost choked. There were dead bodies everywhere. Most looked like they had been shot multiple times.

Then she saw him; Lelouch, his face even paler than normal, almost feverish. Her heart panged for some reason, but she ignored it, walking forward.

CC looked up. She had Lelouch's head in her lap and was raking her fingers through his hair, trying to rid it of all the dried blood. Her face looked as apathetic as usual. It pissed Kallen off.

"How is he?" She asked nervously, kneeling next to CC. Automatically, the codebearer tightened her grip on Lelouch and pulled him closer. Kallen was surprised for a moment, then angry.

"I have to treat him." She said deliberately. CC looked miffed, but reluctantly let Kallen come closer.

Kallen flinched as she saw the wound; it was a huge shot, right through his left arm. She carefully pulled out a tweezer.

"This will hurt." She muttered. She dug it into the wound, causing Lelouch to flinch violently and cry out, his eyes beginning to open.

"Where..." He began. Kallen glared at him.

"Sleep, Lelouch." She snapped. "You need to rest. You've lost a lot of blood."

"I...I what?" He managed. CC shushed him.

"Sleep." She commanded. Lelouch tried to protest, but instead let out a grunt as the tweezer in his arm was moved. Black was on the fringes of his vision at the unbearable pain, and he had to bite his lip in order to keep from screaming.

"Where...where is Nunnally? She was…" He wavered, hissing as the tweezer moved slightly again. Flares of pain shot down his arm, and he felt groggy, struggling to stay awake. Kallen looked at CC in confusion.

"Nunnally?" She said. CC got a strange look in her eye.

"Go back to sleep. You must have imagined it." She said dismissively. Lelouch got a pained look on his face, but soon his eyes closed again as he fell into a feverish sleep.

Immediately Kallen got back to work on Lelouch, removing the bullet and treating the wound with the advanced Britannian serum. It would heal almost 5 times as fast as it would have otherwise. As she bandaged up the wound, she noticed how quiet CC had been, not even commenting condescendingly on her methods. She looked almost conflicted.

"...what did you tell him?"

CC looked at her sharply. "What do you mean?"

"Nunnally. You told him you were Nunnally so he'd relax."

CC didn't respond.

"Tch. Whatever." Kallen muttered, frustrated. _Why am I so angry? _She wondered, looking away deliberately. She should be happy that CC was here to help Lelouch. Of course she was. Lelouch was alive, after all.

As they both worked to carry Lelouch out to get to a hospital, it became clear to her, no matter how much she tried to convince herself it wasn't the case.

_I wanted to be there for him._

Well, she was now. And she would be, even after he was emperor again.


	5. Chapter 5: Recovery

**A/N: Sorry for being gone for so long! We were on vacation in a place without wifi. We'll be trying to get the chapter out faster next time!**

**DISCLAIMER: We do not own Code Geass! Why...why would you think that? Did you...did you read this story? Or the Author's Note?...What?**

Lelouch hurt.

A LOT.

He had only been in the hospital for a day and he had already gone through a world of pain. Both the treatments and the space between treatments was like a living hell. The only break he had was his feverish naps he took before being roused by a nurse to be taken for in for more from his temporary room.

CC was his most active visitor. By that, it means she was his only visitor.

After his first checkup by the doctors, Lelouch passed out. A few hours later when he woke up, CC was sitting in a chair next to the bed, holding his hand.

"Uhh, what are you doing?" He asked intelligently.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm holding your hand. Isn't that how people comfort one another?" She replied without a hint of inflection in her voice.

"I'm sure." Lelouch said dryly, pulling his hand back to try to brush back his hair. Instead, he ended up gasping as an indescribable pain shot through his arm.

"I wouldn't suggest that." CC said mildly. Lelouch shot her a glare.

"Thanks for the warning." He managed through gritted teeth, his voice strangled with pain. After a few minutes, it died down, and he was able to relax again. His mind was a bit of a mess, and he was still trying to sort out what had happened for him to end up in here.

"So," CC said, "How are you?"

"Just peachy." Lelouch snapped back sarcastically. CC gave him a deadpan look.

"Oh. I guess I'll be leaving then." She stated, and begun to stand up.

"Wait-You're just-leaving?" He managed, dumbfounded, as she calmly walked across the room. She turned slightly.

"...Yeah."

"B-but-"

"I've been waiting here for four hours." She replied coolly. Without another word, she walked out the door.

Lelouch stared after her, shocked. She just...left?

Sighing with frustration and letting out a 'fine, be that way', he leaned back a bit into the pillow.

Memories started coming back slowly as he concentrated. He went to confront Clovis and tried to shoot him, but he didn't...then what?

Oh.

The deserters. They must have lost hope in Clovis and decided to side with the terrorists. Lelouch was disgusted at how easily they changed sides.

They charged in and...shot Clovis. He felt a sudden pang.

"Why?" He muttered furiously to himself. "Why am I so angry? I killed him last time. It was me, and I did it without a second thought."

He felt sick.

He had killed his own brother without remorse, without mercy.

He killed him even as he pleaded for forgiveness.

He was cowardly, a sharp and feral part of his mind claimed, he was evil and cruel. He killed all those people.

And yet…

He was his brother.

And he was a human, just like anyone else.

He pushed onward in his memories.

He shot at the deserters, but he didn't hit many of them. One of them shot him too. He went down, probably bleeding. So who killed those people?

He supposed it didn't really matter. It could have been loyalists. All he knew was that CC and Kallen found him (which raised several more questions), bleeding to death next to the body of his brother.

He let his head rest against the headboard of the small hospital bed.

It's too late now. You're not even missing anything. It's the exact same as it was before.

Nothing was different. Nothing was wrong. All was well.

Clovis was cruel and evil. He killed thousands of innocent people because of his ignorant elitism. He couldn't cry for Clovis.

But, he thought, he could cry for his brother. And he could cry for another mislead man who died, a casualty of war. He would cry. And then he'd move on. Because he had to. Because his brother was Clovis. And he was Zero.

Outside the door of the pristine hospital room, CC leaned against the wall.

And so it began.

Lelouch had just gotten out of school and was walking across the school grounds when he saw the white van drive up beside him.

Huh, he thought, that's odd, as someone in a suspicious looking hood climbed out of the back.

"Uh…" He said very eloquently. He wasn't exactly sure how to react to this situation. Naturally his first instinct was to run away, but he seriously doubted that would work out. And he never thought a situation like this would actually happen.

"Are you...here to kidnap me?" He ventured, dumbfounded by the sheer stereotypicalness of this situation.

"Uh...yeah?" Said the hooded man. Lelouch narrowed his eyes. That voice sounded familiar…

"Ohgi?" He managed. The hooded figure visibly flinched.

"Uhhh….uhm…." He stuttered uncertainly. Suddenly, another person jumped out.

"DAMMIT OHGI! You weren't supposed to talk!" The obviously female voice shouted, smacking the other over the back of the head. Lelouch blinked, utterly lost and confused.

"...Kallen? Why aren't you at school…?" It occurred to him he shouldn't know who Kallen is… and also, that begs another question. Wasn't Kallen there when he was shot…? Did she know…?

He was brought out of his musings just in time to see Ohgi speak again.

"B-but-!"

"Nevermind!" The girl, undoubtedly Kallen, snapped. She whipped around to face Lelouch.

"I have to do everything myself!" She complaining and assumed a fighting stance. It suddenly occurred to Lelouch that he should be running from the terrorists instead of watching them bicker. He suddenly turned around and started sprinting away.

"W-wait! GET BACK HERE!" Kallen shouted. No way! Lelouch thought, but was already panting to hard to speak. He heard the thudding of footsteps behind him as he continued his ill-fated, desperate run.

He heard a whooshing noise.

"HIYAH!"

A foot cracked against the back of his head, and he was out cold.

Maybe I shouldn't have skipped leg day, he thought as he fell forward. And by leg day I mean every single day of gym.

Lelouch felt like he was just run over by a truck. A rather light truck, but a truck nonetheless.

His head was swimming. Groggy, he blinked, then immediately shut his eyes. White light pierced through his eyelids. He slowly attempted to open them again, squinting against the brightness and attempting to adjust. Finally, he managed to open them enough to see. Everything in front of him looked grey.

Oh wait. No. He was in a cellar. Correction; everything was grey.

Blinking and trying to ignore his second major injury in two days, he attempted to look around. Every time he turned his head, his skull pounded again. He flinched a bit and opted for looking straight forward.

He was tied to a chair, his legs bound. His left arm was, too, but the cast on his right prevented his captors from being tied to the chair. He faintly remarked inwardly about the bindings; rather shoddy and rushed. How long had he been out?

It was a cliché setup; him bound to a chair in front of a metal table in a dark (and rather foul-smelling) room. There was an extremely bright lamp on the desk, angled straight at him. He sighed, more tired than afraid. If he wasn't going crazy, OHGI was one of his captors. What could go wrong?

The door slammed open. Lelouch jumped, startled at the loud noise as Kallen stormed in the room. Oh yeah, this could go wrong.

Kallen slammed her hands on the table with an incredible bang! Lelouch faintly wondered what he did to deserve this. Other than genocide. And betraying everyone he loved.

"WHAT HAPPENED THIS TIME!?"

Lelouch thought he might fall out of his chair from the sheer wind force from her shouting.

"Uhh...what?"

"YOU HEARD ME! IT'S DIFFERENT! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Lelouch slowly began to process what she had said. This time…?

The door opened again. Both he and Kallen stared as Ohgi came in looking distressed.

"Kallen! I told you to wait!"

"I can't wait! Don't tell me to wait! Don't tell me what to do!"

Lelouch watched again almost numbly, still trying to understand what was going on.

"Kallen! We need to go about this sensibly!"

"Sensibly?! I'm PERFECTLY sensible!"

His ears were ringing and his head really, really hurt. His mind slogged through the new information, a mess of pain and disbelief that this was actually happening. 'This time'...what did she mean? It mean something, he was sure.

"We should have discussed this! Now he'll never tell us anything!"

"Sure he will! He's Lelouch! Beat him around the head a bit! He'll probably talk!"

"Kallen!"

Lelouch was on the brink of something, he was sure.

"It's fine! I just need to know what happened! He was shot for goodness sake!"

"That doesn't mean you get to just go and interrogate him!"

"We have to! It's the only way!"

"Oh!"

Both Kallen and Ohgi turned as Lelouch suddenly spoke.

I forgot he was here, Kallen sweatdropped.

"You two...you time travelled!"

For a moment, Kallen and Ohgi stared in stunned silence.

For the second time that day, Kallen slammed her hands against the metal table. A loud cracking sound accompanied the bang this time.

"HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT?!" Kallen demanded, leaning across the table, livid.

Lelouch attempted to raise his hands in a placating movement, remembered he was tied up, and gave up. "I time travelled too!"

Kallen looked taken aback.

"You...I...what?"

"I time travelled too. We must have all been sent back here for some reason."

Ohgi nodded enthusiastically. "I knew other people would time travel!"

Kallen slowly processed the information. She turned livid again in less than a second.

"IDIOT! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?!" She demanded.

"And risk you calling me crazy? Of course not! Besides, how would I have known that you had time travelled?"

"No! I mean, why didn't you tell us?! That stunt you pulled! What were you thinking?!"

Lelouch blinked. It was his turn to be taken aback.

"Stunt?"

"Killing yourself? Convincing us to hate you? Betraying everyone?!" Kallen grabbed the collar of his shirt, yanking him forward. "Did you even think about what you were doing?"

Lelouch suddenly felt uneasy. "Kallen, I…"

"Everyone hated you! We all thought you were crazy, Lelouch! Didn't you trust us at all?"

Lelouch flinched slightly. He really wanted to avoid eye contact. He really had messed up. What could he even say?

"She's right," Ohgi said, sad. "You should have told us. We could have helped you!"

"I…" Lelouch trailed off ruefully, turning his head away. He couldn't really say anything to amend for everything he did and said. For a moment, he closed his eyes, thinking.

"If…" He paused. He turned his head back to Kallen, opening his eyes.

"If I had had asked, would you have followed me into Hell?" He said, staring at her steadily. She was surprised at the sudden intensity in his gaze.

"Of course we would have!" Kallen said, angry she had been doubted. Ohgi nodded, frowning.

"Exactly." Lelouch let his head fall to the side again, looking to the floor. "I can't let you follow me on a path like that. It wouldn't be fair to you." His face fell slightly. "I couldn't do that to you. I don't want to lose everyone. I don't want them to be lost like me."

For a moment, there was a heavy silence on the room.

"Idiot."

Lelouch looked up, startled. Kallen's face was angled down, and he couldn't see her expression.

"You seriously think...we'd listen to some hippie crap like that?!"

She looked up passionately.

"Who do you think we are?"

Ohgi stepped forward with determination. "Of course we'd follow you!"

"You betrayed me!" Lelouch tried.

"We betrayed you because you didn't trust us. You didn't let us in. How could we have helped you?"

Kallen nodded fiercely. "Don't think you're sparing us from anything! We experienced enough Hell because of you!"

Lelouch blinked. "I…"

"Don't you start!" Kallen snapped, angry again. "We...we wanted to help you! Why wouldn't you let us!" Lelouch opened his mouth, but she shook her head. "Don't answer that. I understand. But I'll never agree. We would have gone through Hell with you, Lelouch! And we would have pulled you out!"

"Kallen…"

"Lelouch, I respect you. I trust you." She looked away, suddenly red in the face. "Just...trust us too."

Lelouch was so taken aback by the speech that, for once, he didn't have a snappish answer. He was almost dumbfounded. He never knew…

Ohgi stepped forward, putting his hand on Lelouch's good shoulder. "So please, help us...Zero."

Lelouch felt an overwhelming feeling of...happiness? Thankfulness? Regret? All of them?

"I…" Suddenly, he smiled. Not an overconfident smirk or a grimace. An actual smile.

"Thank you." He leaned back slightly, sighing. "This time...things really have to be different."

The sound of slow clapping sliced through the emotional moment like a knife.

"That was a touching reunion, but if Lelouch is to incite a revolution, he really needs to get to bed."

Everyone turned, startled. There, leaning against the doorframe, was CC in all her glory, holding a piece of pepperoni pizza.

"CC?" Lelouch said.

"Oh yes," she said, almost sarcastic, "forget about me already?"

"How...long have you been here?" Ohgi managed, shocked.

"Long enough." She yawned and took another bite of her pizza. "You humans and your long-winded speeches."

Kallen sweat-dropped. "CC...you are a human...right?"

"Well, I think it's about time we wrapped this charming meeting up. Don't you?" CC calmly walked across the room and plucked Kallen's hand, detaching it from Lelouch's shirt. The pilot was so surprised she didn't even resist.

"Lelouch, it is really time we go." CC said, walking around to Lelouch's side of the table. Her eyes slid to Ohgi. "Or should I say Zero now?" Ohgi blushed and laughed nervously.

"It was spur-of-the-moment." He defended.

CC sighed, surveying the room critically. "Your interior design skills really leave something to be desired, even if this is just an extra basement room." She glanced at Kallen. "Although what else can I expect from you?"

Kallen slammed her hands on the table for the third time that day. It promptly broke and crashed to the floor.

The lamp hit the ground and shattered, plunging them into darkness and the table's pieces hit the ground, banging and clattering loudly. After a few minutes, the sound finally stopped.

…

"Would someone please untie me now?"


	6. Chapter 6: Explanation

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm very sorry for the wait for this chapter! We also started working on a Bleach fan fiction (also time travel, how redundant), so updates might start taking a bit longer. My apologies! Also, I'd like to thank you all so much for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! We know that every fan fiction author and their mother gush about how thankful they are, but we truly are grateful. We're new to this whole thing, and it's quite a great experience! Anyway, I'll cut to the more important stuff.**

**ACTUAL IMPORTANT QUESTION HERE FOR ALL WHO SKIP AUTHOR'S NOTES:**** What do you guys think about Suzaku x Euphemia? Included but subtle? Just bros? Eating each other's faces? It's up to you, since we still have them both paired with Lelouch anyway. We'll make it work (hopefully).**

**Another question; how about Rivalz x Milly? We are not planning for that, and it even goes against some of the plot, so do you have any other ideas for what to do with Rivalz? Will you find us and eat us for dinner if we don't pair them, or do you not care? Remember, side couple suggestions are welcome.**

**And what do you want to do with Nina? Include her? Ignore her? Make her a bad guy? Burn her at the stake? Make her a ~good person~ with the power of ~friendship~? Once again, up to you.**

**Thank you to all who read the author's note, or just or story at all!**

**DISCLAIMER: We do not own Code Geass. If we did, Suzaku would have not been a jerkwad and together he and Lelouch would be total bros and fly into the sunset on a meterosexual rainbow. That didn't make any sense, did it? That's fine. Kk story time.**

"Why should we trust you?!" Kallen demanded, right on cue.

Lelouch a sudden rush of familiarity and regret at those words. He currently stood at the front of the train as he did before, standing before the small group of terrorists. _Why should they trust me?_ He wondered. He immediately banished the thought.

After finally being released by the others, he decided the best idea was to follow what they did last time. Making all the anonymous phone calls and pulling the group around was much more fun than you'd expect. When they finally arrived, they were skeptical and awed. He had to reassure them. He just hoped Ohgi stuck to their plan.

He was evidently silent for a moment too long; the others began murmuring hesitantly. Kallen gave him a worried look. Snapping out of his retrospection, he plunged onward.

"I think Ohgi can tell you that much."

They turned to look at their leader, surprised. Ohgi gulped nervously.

_Let's hope this works…_

"Zero and I set this up before the battle." Ohgi lied, sounding more assured than he felt. Immediately the terrorists began agitated.

"What?!" One said furiously. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Lelouch quickly cut in. "I would not have come to your aid if he had told you about it."

"Why not?! We're fighting for the same cause!"

_It's important to handle this very carefully, _Lelouch told himself. _If I screw this up I'll definately have a disaster on my hands._

"I did not want you to get false hope too early." Lelouch said.

"Still, how are we supposed to know you aren't playing us?" Kallen asked, sealing the deal. The other terrorists murmured in agreement. Lelouch ignored the pang in his heart at her words, knowing that they had been scripted earlier that day.

"For you, I shall do the impossible." He intoned dramatically. Kallen rolled her eyes, and he couldn't help but crack a smile.

"I shall defy the Britannian Government and survive!" He said with a flare, sweeping his right arm to the side. Immediately he regretted it as a hot burst of pain shot along it. He flinched violently and could tell that he had started bleeding again.

_Oops, _he thought dryly, but continued anyway. _It's a small price to pay for being fabulous._

"I shall save...Private Kururuugi!" He said dramatically, his voice strained. _I think my bone just broke again._

The terrorists looked shocked.

"Save Private Kururuugi?" On said with shock. "How?!"

Lelouch smirked. "You'll see."

A rush of excitement at their awed faces was worth the small possibility that a bone was currently puncturing his skin. If everything went according to plan, Zero would be incorporated into the group earlier. Even more so, Ohgi would be put in a better light if saving Suzaku worked.

"Do you expect our help so suddenly?!" One terrorist complained. "As if!"

"I need only two others." He stated, subtly clutching his right arm closer to himself. "Two of my associates will be helping us out."

"Two? There's no w-"

"I'll help." Kallen said boldly, stepping forward. Lelouch almost shed a happy tear at the drama Kallen had shown. _They grow up so fast._

"W-what?! Kallen?" One of the others asked angrily.

"What's there to lose?" Kallen asked. "He helped us out once already."

"I will too, of course." Ohgi said, stepping forward too. He radiated confidence.

Lelouch found himself smiling fondly. Ohgi and Kallen stood shoulder to shoulder, playing their parts perfectly. A small part of him hoped it wasn't acting, but a more reasonable part knew it had to be.

_I should probably get to the hospital now._

"So, you managed to break your arm again."

Lelouch glared at CC weakly from the hospital bed that he was getting far too acquainted with. After the train he headed straight back to the exact room he was in before. He could have sworn that the nurse rolled her eyes at him when he had to explain how he hurt himself. Of course, he excluded the part about being a terrorist. He doubted he would have been admitted into the hospital then.

"How was a supposed to know that I could break it by being fabulous?" He grumbled. CC sighed.

"Honestly. How am I supposed to work with an idiot for a contractor?"

"Not an idiot! A tactician!"

"Now if only you could function outside of war." She replied coolly. Lelouch flinched.

"Now that was completely unnecessary."

"I would hardly say that. Someone needs to be hard on you, after all."

Lelouch let out an exasperated laugh.

"I guess you're right." He sighed, attempting to shift to make his arm to be more comfortable. "I really do need you."

CC stiffened slightly and quickly turned her head away. Lelouch blinked in surprise. In the afternoon light, it almost looked like she was...blushing…?

"I'll do it."

Lelouch was pulled out of his incredulousness as CC spoke.

"What?"

"I'll be Zero."

Lelouch gave her a confused.

"Huh? Why?"

"Idiot. If both you and Zero have broken arms, wouldn't that be suspicious? Besides, Zero can't show weakness to the public."

Lelouch frowned. "I can't put you in danger like that! What if it doesn't work out?"

CC gave him a dry look. He absentmindedly decided the apparent blush was just his imagination.

"I'm immortal." CC deadpanned.

"Yeah, but-!"

"Besides, this will increase your standing with the terrorists. How could they suspect Lelouch and Zero are the same if they're in the same place at the same time?"

"What do you mean?"

"You'll drive the truck." She said. "Ohgi and Kallen will be in the car."

Lelouch thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, no, Kallen will cover us from a Knightmare instead. Ohgi will drive the car, and you and he can run for it. I could pick you guys up from your escape, and no one would suspect I'm Zero."

CC gave him a look. Lelouch sighed.

"Yeah, you're right. This plan way makes more sense."

"What will you do about Jeremiah?"

Lelouch couldn't help but remember how loyally Jeremiah had followed both he and his mother. How crushed he had been when all of his pride was destroyed by Zero. He let out a long sigh. He couldn't do that to him.

"Well, we can't let him take the blame like last time." Lelouch said.

"Why not?"

"Because…" Lelouch trailed off. "Because...I don't….I don't want him to suffer like that again.

CC gave him a steady look for a few moments before speaking.

"You've changed, Lelouch." He sighed.

"I sure hope it's for the better."

"So, what shall we do instead?"

Lelouch grinned maniacally. "Well…"

It's amazing how dull getting tied up and threatened by military officers can get after a while.

Suzaku sighed wearily as he sat on the carrier to his trial. From the sidelines, Britanians booed at him, shouting insults. He protected their country! Darn kids these days have no respect.

Over the past 24 hours, life had been hard. He had been dragged off by angry Britanians, interrogated by Jeremiah, tied up, beaten, kicked, put in jail, reassured by Lloyd (which, mind you, is not a pleasant experience), and now was being driven past a crowd that was only a few pitchforks and torches short of being an angry mob.

He was just waiting for the rotten tomatoes to start coming.

A small, extremely pessimistic part of his mind began to wonder if Zero-no, Lelouch-was even coming. He let out a tired sigh and was in turn electrocuted by the collar around his neck.

Just as his knees were starting to blister from all the kneeling, lo and behold, over the horizon came Clovis's Royal Transport.

_What took them so long? _He wondered dryly as the crowd around him fell into chaos.

"I am... Zero!"

CC noted the extreme accuracy of the voice changer she had on absentmindedly as she descended into the speech Lelouch had her memorize.

"Who is this person? The one who calls himself Zero? Standing in front of a full military convoy?" The announcer intoned. CC rolled her eyes. She could imagine the absolute joy Lelouch had felt at the sheer drama of this situation.

"Who is this man calling himself Zero?" The announcer cried again. He continued to blather on and eventually CC resolved to ignore him.

_Honestly. Humans. So silly, so strange._

"I've seen enough of this Zero. This little show of yours is over!" Jeremiah said in what seemed to be almost rehearsed frustration. CC frowned, storing that information absently.

Knightmares dropped from their transports above, shaking the ground. CC gritted her teeth slightly, but refused to stumble. Her cape billowed majestically in the wind. She couldn't help but smirk. What a ridiculously flamboyant outfit.

"First things first. Lose the mask!" Jeremiah called, his voice strained. CC didn't bother to waste a second more. She lifted a hand and snapped.

The covers to their patched-together vehicle fell away. There was the container that she herself had been imprisoned is, revealed for all to see. She was hard-pressed not to give it a dry glare, not exactly thrilled by the reminder of her imprisonment.

"Be careful, Jeremiah!" Viletta shouted, having climbed out of her Knightmare. "He's got the-"

"I know." Jeremiah said coldly.

Jeremiah's hand rose as if pulled by strings. He aimed his gun straight for CC, just as she had been warned.

"You intend to shoot? You know full well what's in this container." Jeremiah hesitated for a moment.

"Fine. What are your demands?" He said, lowering the gun. Somehow, he seemed relieved.

"An exchange. This, for Kururuugi."

"Y…" Suddenly Jeremiah stopped. CC frowned. Lelouch didn't warn her about this. Jeremiah got a conflicted look on his face for a moment before opening his mouth. Before he could speak, he was cut off by the man standing next to him.

"Never! Private Kururuugi murdered Prince Clovis, and he must be brought to justice!"

_Unexpected, but not unwelcome, _CC thought. She plunged onward.

"No. You're mistaken. He's no murderer."

At that moment, she saw that fool Diethard run out, a camera on his shoulder. She rolled her eyes but didn't stop, knowing Lelouch would get a kick out of this.

"I killed Clovis." She said bluntly, not bothering for the dramaticism Lelouch so loved. She was tiring of this tedious work.


	7. Chapter 7: Miracle

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm sorry this chapter is so late. Life has been pretty hectic for us. Our father had a stroke recently and everything's been really jumbled together. I'm sorry.**

**We hope to get back on schedule with posting the chapters soon.**

**DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN CODE GEASS! THIS IS CALLED FANFICTION FOR A REASON!**

**WARNING: MILD SWEARING, LELOUCH IS POPULAR, SOME MILD SUZALULU (IF YOU LOOK) AS PER A REQUEST.**

The crowd gasped, shocked. Diethard got a look of such glee she wanted to go over and smack him.

"For a single Eleven, you'll save scores of precious Britanians. I find that to be a bargain."

Jeremiah looked almost desperate. "We can't hand him over!"

"Jeremiah! You must think!" Viletta urged frantically from behind him. Even the man who had first spoken against handing over Suzaku looked conflicted.

"Be careful. You don't want all these people to die, now do you?"

Jeremiah got a befuddled look on his face, as if he had been expecting something else. CC narrowed her eyes.

_An actor whose script has just been changed, _she mused.

"L-lower your weapons!" Jeremiah said suddenly, confused. Viletta nodded desperately from behind him, knowing full well the gas might be released at any moment. The car beneath CC inched forward as the Knightmares surrounding her slowly backed off.

"I'll trade the prisoner in exchange for the detonator," CC lied fluidly.

Jeremiah nodded, grabbing Suzaku and yanking him to his feet. The air around them grew tense as he jumped off the platform, dragging the prisoner along with him violently.

CC jumped off the platform as well, knowing no one would dare to attack after such a dramatic performance. She calmly walked forward, meeting with Jeremiah halfway between their vehicles.

Jeremiah was giving her an oddly intense look. After a moment, he pushed Suzaku towards her. She easily steadied him.

"Now...the detonator." He said deliberately. CC simply pulled Suzaku behind her, preparing to shield him.

"The detonator! Hand it over!" Villetta shouted angrily from her Knightmare.

"Sorry." CC said insincerely. In a swift movement, she raised her gun and shot.

A loud bang was heard, and the poison gas was pouring out of Clovis's old car. The Britannians began panicking. Immediately, CC began running, pulling Suzaku along with her. Jeremiah collapsed, a hand clutching his shoulder and a look of shock on his face.

"Wh-what?! He shot Jeremiah!"

"I knew it!" Kenwall hissed, starting up his Knightmare again. He began to charge forward to where he knew Clovis's vehicle, but was stopped in his tracks when one of their own Knightmares shot out in front of him.

"Soldier? What do you think you're doing?!" He shouted. In response, the Knightmare shot his legs, causing his mech to completely collapse.

"What the Hell?!" He cursed, attempting to move his vehicle. Instead, it made an awful crunching noise, sparks flying out of the controls. He gritted his teeth in frustration as the other Knightmare shot away. He slammed his first against the controls.

"Dammit!" He shouted. Him, a commander, foiled by some no-name rebel pilot?! He face burned with indignation.

"Everyone!" He roared, "After that Knightmare!"

Immediately, the soldiers shot into action, all careening into the smoke. CC nodded to herself as she ran. She spared a glance back at the car; out of the drivers seat jumped Ohgi. Kallen pulled up in her Knightmare and immediately jumped out. Behind them was absolute chaos as the Britannians crashed blindly through the smoke, shooting at each other mindlessly. Whoever had ordered the attack would be getting quite the talking to after such a terrible failure.

They sprinted across the bridge. CC stopped at the edge for a moment, waiting for Suzaku to catch up.

"Jump." She commanded him calmly. She easily leapt off the side, landing in the netting below. She looked up, surprised to see Suzaku right behind her, not a hint of hesitation.

"Follow me." She instructed. She pulled herself up, glancing off the the side. As Lelouch had said, a truck pulled up. The top was open.

"There will be a cushion inside." She told Suzaku. She hoisted herself over the side, dropping in. Suzaku followed, as well as Ohgi.

When she landed inside, she started with surprise. Lelouch hadn't told her the cushioning would be…

"Stuffed animals?" She said incredulously. She picked one up, inspecting it. _No way…_

"Are these...My Little Pony stuffed animals?" Suzaku asked, confused.

CC sighed. "Indeed they are."

The truck pulled away.

Lelouch, driving the truck, muttered to himself.

"It's not _my _fault…" He grumbled. "How was I supposed to know that is was a Toys R Us truck?! They should just be glad it wasn't filled with Legos!"

He finally pulled into the terrorist's hideout. As expected, they immediately ran out to greet them.

"Zero! Zero! Zero!" They chanted enthusiastically.

The back of the truck opened. CC stepped out. She inwardly rolled her eyes as she recalled what Lelouch had told her to say.

"My good people," She intoned as dramatically as she could bear without gagging, "I have done the impossible! I have brought you a prisoner of Britannia!"

"Zero! Zero! Zero!" They shouted with excitement.

"You really are a miracle worker!" One cried.

"We shouldn't have doubted you!"

Lelouch scowled to himself. _They didn't do this last time I saved Suzaku! I can't believe CC's getting all the glory. She doesn't even LIKE it!_

"Now, I must speak to Kururuugi in private." She said. With a sweep of her cape, she waltzed away, trusting Suzaku would follow after such a performance.

As Suzaku and CC walked away, Kallen and Ohgi climbed out of the truck.

"I can't believe Lelouch convinced CC to show such dramaticism!" Ohgi whispered to Kallen. Kallen nodded and opened her mouth to say something, but one of the other terrorists walked up, a girl named Kyoura.

"Wait...if you two are here, who was driving the truck?" She asked curiously. "The back and front are separated, right?"

Kallen and Ohgi simultaneously froze.

_Shit, what do we say?!_

"It...uh…."

"_Can we tell them?!_" Ohgi hissed to Kallen. Kyoura frowned.

"What'd you say?"

"Uh…" Ohgi managed.

"Oh, it was me."

All three of them turned in surprise to see Lelouch calmly step out of the truck. Kyoura's eyes widened.

"Wow." She said, suddenly smiling. "Who's this handsome guy?"

"My name is Lelouch." He said. "And who might you be?"

"Call me Kyoura." She said with a grin. "Why're you here? Haven't seen you around before."

"Oh, I work with Zero."

"Really?" Another terrorist who had overheard asked. "How do you know each other?"

"Business associates." Lelouch said calmly.

A crowd slowly began to grow around him, each asking questions. Kallen and Ohgi could only watch, stunned, as Lelouch grew in popularity by the second.

"Did...did this just happen?" Ohgi asked, stunned.

"Yes," Kallen said, "yes it did."

Finally, Lelouch managed to get away from the crowd of terrorists, telling them he had to leave for now. He speed walked as fast as he could after Suzaku and CC, hoping to catch their conversation. Panting, he ducked behind a wall, close enough to listen in.

As soon as they were far enough from the terrorists, Suzaku spoke.

"Cut the crap, Lelouch."

Lelouch froze in his hiding spot.

_What?! Impossible!_

CC turned to Suzaku, mildly surprised.

"What?"

"I know who you are." He said coldly. "So you may as well drop the act."

CC paused for a moment, processing what this meant.

"...If you know who I am, why do we need to talk?"

Suzaku sighed. For a moment, he didn't say anything, opting instead to turn away from CC, staring at the sky through the half-destroyed walls. He closed his eyes.

"What do you think you're doing, Lelouch?"

CC didn't respond, so Suzaku kept talking.

"Terrorism? Rebellion? This isn't right, Lelouch! What are you trying to achieve?" He turned to face CC fiercely. Lelouch frowned.

"Suzaku…" Lelouch whispered to himself.

"Is it really just for revenge? Is getting back at your father all you want?! All these people, each with their own story, their own tragedy...yet you continue to only want power!"

Lelouch flinched slightly.

"You don't want justice or peace! You only want to rule!"

_Of course not… It…_

"What do you believe in? Do you believe in anything other than fury?!"

_I believe...I believe in-_

"Lelouch, do you even care?!"

"Of course I care!" He shouted before he could stop himself.

Lelouch flinched. _Too loud. _Silence hung over the room. Slowly, he stood, heart pounding with fear.

"I...I do care, Suzaku."

Nervously, he stepped out from his hiding place. Both CC and Suzaku were staring at him in shock.

_Too late to stop now, _he thought grimly.

"Last time…" _God, I hope it's how I think it is, _"last time, I really did just want revenge." He looked down. "I wanted revenge on Britannia for hurting my sister, but mostly… for hurting me. I was selfish."

"Lelouch…?" Suzaku managed, confused.

"I...I was angry. So angry. How could my father just throw us away like that? And I was humiliated. Humiliated that I wasn't worth anything more than any of his other pawns." He took in a deep breath.

"But now...now I know. I know about all the injustice, and I know it really does affect me. After meeting Kallen, CC, Ohgi, Shirley, Rolo...and even you...I began to understand how much it mattered. It wasn't just about my quest for revenge and success…it was about every single last one of us."

He paused for a second, searching for the right words.

"And in my anger...I became exactly like the man I fought to defeat."

He looked up at Suzaku, suddenly passionate.

"Now I know. Now I understand… I must become a true knight of justice." He smiled suddenly. "Suzaku, _that _is what I believe."

For a moment, silence fell over them.

Suzaku looked at him in shock. Immediately, Lelouch regretted he had said anything.

_Idiot!_ He cursed himself. _Suzaku couldn't have time travelled! What were you thinking!?_

"Uhh, Suzaku, I…"

Hesitant footsteps turned into an all-out sprint. Lelouch's eyes widened as the Lancelot pilot ran at him.

"Su-?!"

He was cut off by Suzaku crashing into him, hugging him.

"S...Suzaku?" He managed, stunned.

"Lelouch...it's good to see you."

Lelouch's eyes widened.

"You...you…"

"I'm sorry." Suzaku said. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have killed you." Lelouch tensed for a moment. Suddenly, he relaxed.

Lelouch frowned. "Of course you should have. I was the one who told you to."

Suzaku let out a dry laugh.

"Exactly."

Lelouch smiled with exasperation. He wrapped an arm around Suzaku, patting him on the back.

"It's good to see you too, Suzaku."

For a moment, they were just glad to have their friend back.

Only a moment though.

"Are you two going to make a habit of forgetting I exist? Maybe I should just leave."

Suzaku turned around.

"That dry wit… CC?"

"Bingo. It's almost as if I matter." She presumably rolled her eyes, waving a hand. "Oh, no, go ahead and have your beautiful reunion. Leave me out. Fine."

Suzaku grinned. "You too, CC." He walked back and slung an arm around her shoulder.

"It's good to see you."

"Mmhmm. You're damn right it is."

Suzaku blinked, as if suddenly realizing something.

"Wait a second, why _are _you Zero, CC?"

Lelouch paled.

"Uhh..." He laughed nervously. "I broke my arm in that fight."

"The battle? That was several days ago. With the technology at this day and age, you should be healed by now."

"About that…"

"He broke his arm again." CC deadpanned. Suzaku blinked.

"How?"

"Don't-!"

"He was trying to be dramatic."

Suzaku was silent for a moment. Then he started laughing.

"Shut up." Lelouch murmured. "Just because I'm more fabulous than you…"

"Ha! For a guy who gets all the girls, you're pretty lame. And guys, might I add."

"All the girls? All the guys?" Lelouch asked. "Who?"

It was CC's turn to get embarrassed. Suzaku grinned cheekily at her.

"If you say anything, I will personally see to your assassination, soldier boy."

Suzaku laughed. "He doesn't even get it, it's fine."

"That…" CC sighed angrily.

"Don't worry CC, you're not alone in this."

Lelouch shrugged helplessly. "I am so confused…"


End file.
